Decanting wine is an operation that is carried out for leaving sediments inside of a just opened wine bottle, as well as for oxygenating or aerating the wine before drinking. It is known that wine to be oxygenated is poured into a suitably devised instrument, known as a “decanter”, consisting of a receptacle with very large base and rather reduced height, and having a pouring neck. In this way the exchange surface between the air and the wine layer inside the decanter is larger than the corresponding exchange surface inside a wine bottle.
However, it must be noted that the use of decanters is not completely free from drawbacks. The most critical aspect of this technology is related with the rather long time that is necessary to obtain effective aeration or oxygenation of the wine poured inside a decanter. Wine actually needs to “rest” for several minutes, sometimes hours, inside the decanter before being properly aerated or oxygenated.